The Vice-Presidency for science and technology affairs is one of the newest organizations established after the Islamic republic of Iran in the field of scientific development and progress. This institution was opened in 2006 by the approval of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution in order to support and strengthen the scientific and research activities of elites in the country. In addition, the Vice-Presidency for science and technology affairs has been established due to the necessity of promoting national authority, generating wealth, improving people's quality of life through increasing the technology and innovation capabilities in the country, and enhancing the "National Innovation System" and completing its components and circles. Other goals of the establishment of this center include developing the knowledge-based economy through intersectoral cooperation and synergy, improving the relationship between “knowledge” with “industry” and “society”, facilitating exchanges between supply and demand for technology and innovation by departments, commercializing technology and innovation achievements, and developing knowledge-based companies. In addition, the Vice-Presidency is responsible for development of national strategic and prioritized technologies proposed in the comprehensive scientific map of the country and the enhancement of international scientific communication, technology, and innovation, and the development of science and technology diplomacy in the country. Several duties have been defined for the Vice-Presidency to meet these goals and respond to the society’s needs. Some of the most important responsibilities of the Vice-Presidency at the macro level include planning, coordinating, and synergizing in the “National Innovation System” and between the development and policy plans for the development of science and technology of the country. Along with these big responsibilities, other duties of the Vice-Presidency have been defined with an emphasis on the support of knowledge-based companies and strengthening the foundation of knowledge-based economy and include developing technology, strengthening the commercialization process and supporting the knowledge-based institutes and companies and engineering design enterprises, supporting the expansion of research and development activities in the country and enhancing the ability of "technology management" in knowledge-based companies, enhancing technological entrepreneurship, improving the knowledge-based business and guiding the country’s assets toward the production of knowledge-based services and goods, developing the mechanisms of venture capitals (VCs) and financing the knowledge-based economy, supporting the formation and strengthening of private organizations in the field of producing and developing the export of knowledge-based products and goods, stimulating demand, creating the market, guaranteeing the market for domestic products, and marketing and exporting knowledge-based services and goods.

The scientific and technological units affiliated with the presidency (e.g., nanotechnology headquarter, Iranian national science foundation, and Pardis Technology Park), that had this affiliation before the formation of the Vice-Presidency, are now working under the supervision of the Vice-Presidency for science and technology affairs. Moreover, according to the approvals of the government, Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, and other legislative authorities, several current issues of this important section of the country have been assigned to the Vice-Presidency, including resource setting and approval for research by ministries and executive agencies. In this regard, all of the goals are presented in the “Rules and Regulations” tab of the website.

At a quick glance, the goals and responsibilities of the Vice-Presidency include:

General Goals:

Promoting wealth creation through increasing innovation and technology capabilities in the country

Improving the ecosystem of innovation and acceleration of knowledge-based economy

Realizing the scientific authority, increasing the share of research knowledge-based economy from Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and optimally using the resources

Expanding the support of development of knowledge-based economy and support of innovation and problem-oriented research

Main Goals:

Promoting and improving the acceleration process to develop knowledge-based economy within the framework of regulations, rules and upstream documents

Creating and enhancing the innovation ecosystem and completing the components and their circles and improving their institutional infrastructures

Supporting the formation, empowering and development of knowledge-based institutions and companies

Developing and commercializing strategic technologies required in the country within the framework of comprehensive scientific map of the country

Supporting the innovation and problem-oriented research and commercialization of innovation and technology achievements

Improving the relations between higher education, research and technology institutions with the industrial, economic and social sections and enhancing the institutional infrastructures required for the implementation of this mission

Enhancing research activities and developing economy agencies with the goal of increasing production

Monitoring, assessing and supporting the motivation of demand for knowledge-based and technological products

Improving the export of knowledge-based services and products

Upgrading international innovation and technology communications and developing technology diplomacy

Creating a uniform management system of innovation and technology in administrative organizations

Promoting technology learning at the national level and developing domestic technological abilities through maximum use of capacities of national development projects, government purchases from foreign agencies and activity and investment of foreign companies in the country

Vice presidents for science and technology development headquarter